Computer Literacy at Saint Barnabas Primary School
Central Farm, Cayo District
February 24th – April 2nd, 2009
ESCI 375 – Applications of Sustainable Development
Done by:
Dylan Gart
Inar Cayetano
Georgia Middleton
Raul Martinez
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement...... 1
Introduction...... 2
Findings...... 3
Methodology
Curriculum...... 4
Weekly activities...... 4,5,6
Results...... 7
Recommendations...... 8
Appendix I: Project Proposal...... 9
Appendix II: Partnership Agreement...... 10
Appendix III: Literature Review...... 11
Appendix IV: Microsoft Word Assessment...... 12
Appendix V:Microsoft Excel Assessment...... 13
Appendix VI: Testimonials...... 14
Computer Literacy Project Page 1
Acknowledgements
Members of the Computer Literacy group would like to express a heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Shaw and the teachers of Saint Barnabas Primary School for making this project a success. The group truly appreciated the dedication and enthusiasm that everyone showed during the classes.
We would also like to thank Professor Jay Ashman and Ms. Kaela Gray for the laptops that were donated to the school as well as the feedback and support they gave our group. Without your valuable donation and support this project would not have been possible.
Finally,we would also like to thank Galen University staff for making the Applications of Sustainable Development class possible. The group would like to say a special thank you to Mr. Hiram Ochaeta for his technical assistance and advice given to the group.
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Introduction
Having the basic knowledge of computer skills is very important in today’s environment because everything is centered on technology. Computer literacy is also important because of the changing work environment. The workplace today is 95% computerized, “no matter where you find employment, there is a good chance a computer will be a basic tool you will have to use” (Mckay n.d.). Given these very important reasons it is only fitting that we try and equip our teachers with basic computer knowledge in order for them to use these skills in the classroom.
Saint Barnabas is an Anglican primary school located in Central Farm, Cayo District with a population of two hundred children and six teachers. With the help of our professor and project coordinator, members of the group embarked on a computer literacy project at the school. Using the ten Apple laptops that were donated to the school, our group members had the opportunity to apply our knowledge of computers through lessons planned and taught to the teachers.
The group met with the principal of the school, Mrs. Shaw, who is also the project partner. She informed the group that we would work first with 6 teachers and then proceedto work with children from Standards 3, 4, and 5; however, the group decided to only conduct classes for the teachers, due of time constraints. During our first meeting, Mrs. Shaw informed us that the teachers had limited or no computer skills, and our task was to teach them the best way possible to use the computer.This entailed the following:
1)learning how turn on/off the computer
2)developing Word documents
3)changing of font size
4)using the copy and paste function
5)using the spelling and grammar function
6)creating folders and find folders
7)inserting tables and bullets in Word documents
8)using Excel to find averages, maximum and minimum
9)doing basic research on the internet
10)saving information from the internet on a flash drive
Our group believes that it is highly important for teachers to develop basic knowledge of the computer. Ensuring that the teachers of this school possess knowledge of computers will enable them to improve their teaching skills in the classroom.
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Findings of Project
After the group’s initial meeting with the teachers of Saint Barnabas Primary School the following facts were found;
- Three out of seven teachers had some knowledge of computers.
- The school had five Dell desktop computers in the library, but the teachers did not possess the knowledge to use them.
- The computers in the library were not connected to the internet.
- The printer being used at school was outdated.
- The school does not have a scanner for the teachers to use.
Based on these findings, the group set out to address these issues with the help of the professor and technical staff from GalenUniversity.
With respect to the four teachers that did not know how to use computers, the group formulated a curriculum that can be seen in more details under methodology (see page 4). With the use of this curriculum the teachers will then be able to use the laptops donated to the school as well as the desktops in the library.
With respect to the desktop computers in the library thatare not connected to the internet, the group made a commitment to ensure that all computers are connected by the end of the spring semester. This will be done with the assistance of group members as well as technical staff from GalenUniversity.
With respect to the printer that is outdated, the group has included a new printer in the project proposal (see appendix I). This printer will be donated to school at the end of the project. Also with respect to the scanner needed by the teachers, the group has made a decision to donate it to the school using finances gathered from each member.
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Methodology
Curriculum
At the group’s first meeting with the teachers, we conducted a short survey to find out their level of computer knowledge and skills. The results indicated that out of seven teachers, only three had some knowledge of computers. The group decided to formulate a curriculum that started from the beginning; i.e., how to turn on a computer. Every week the group set different goals to accomplish which ensured the progress of the project. These activities are listed below.
Weekly Activities
February 17th
The group conducted its first computer class and activities for that daywere as follows:
Teaching how to turn on/off the computer
Teaching about the different features in Word and what they are used for.
At the end of this first class the teachers had a lot more knowledge of the different icons in Microsoft Word and their usage.
February 24th
The teachers created their own word document with minimal assistance of group members.
They also usedthe spelling and grammar function to correct errors found in the document.
After the document was typed, the teachers had to change the font size.
At the end of this class five out of the six teachers understood how to create a document and to make the changes listed above. The other teacher said that she was afraid of the computer so the groupdecided that she needed someone individually assigned to her until she was confident enough to create the document.
February 26th
For this class the group gave the teachers a short assessment that tested what they learnt in the previous classes. To view this assessment, see appendix IV.
March 5th
Teachers inserted bullets & numbers into the word document that was created February 24th.
They also inserted tables into the same document.
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In this sessionthe teachers learned rather quickly, so the group was able to finish teaching the basics of Microsoft Word and move on to Microsoft Excel.
March 10th, 12th, 19th and 24th
Inthese classes the teachers were taught how to enter names and grades using Microsoft Excel. The teachers, using names of students, calculated the averages, maximum and minimum grade of each student. The teachers will be able to use Excel to enter the grades of the students in their classes, thus cutting down on the time it usually takes for them to calculate the grades. We designated four classes to cover these formulas in Excel, because we did not want to frustrate the teachers by quickly going through Excel. We gave them enough time to understand all the operations because Excel will be beneficial to them when it comes to grading in the future.
This picture shows members of the group writing out anExcel assessment on the board for the teachers. To view this assessment see appendix V.
Pictures above shows teachers doing Excel assessment given by the group.
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March 26th
The wireless router was installed by Mr. Hiram Ochaeta,the network administrator at GalenUniversity. He was assisted by two of the group members. After the router was installed the teachers were able access the internet using the wireless connection feature on laptops.
March 31st
Group members showed the teachers how to access different websites. They were also given the addresses of different search engines; e.g., Google. The teachers were also asked to find one website that contained information on computer literacy. They were also asked to share with others in the class the information found.
Teachers surfing the internet for the first time! This was an amazing day because the teachers were all excited.
April 2nd
April 2 was the last day of computer classes because the primary school will be out for the Easter holiday. To close off the classes, the group, with the help of the professor and project coordinator, gave each teacher a flash drive that they can use when working on the laptops or at home. The group members also showed the teachers how to save information from the internet onto their new flash drives.
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Results
After five weeks of teaching computers classes and working at the school, the group has the following results to report.
All teachers now possess the basic knowledge of using computers.
They are now confident when using computers.
They all have acquired basic knowledge in using Microsoft Word and Excel.
They now know how to browse the internet to do effective research.
A new printer will be donated to the school using funds from the service-learning budget for 2009.
One wireless router was installed in the library. The other router, using CAT 5e cable, will be installed in one of the classrooms.
USB flash drives were given to each teacher for them to save information on when working on the computers.
The group members will donate a scanner along with some mouse pads to the school to show our appreciation for their participation in this project.
The five Dell desktops and then ten Apple laptops will all be connected in the library so that the teachers and students have an adequate computer lab.
At the end of the classes, the group asked the teachers to each write a short reflection of what they learnt during the five weeks and what their new found knowledge of computer means to them. To view these reflection/testimonials, see appendix VI.
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Recommendations
The group has come to the end of this project which has been a success. It truly has been rewarding and fulfilling experience to work along with the teachers. The group would like to propose the following recommendations to the project partner as well as GalenUniversity service-learning program.
•For more computers to be donated to the school to add to its computer lab.
•Continuation of the computer literacy project at the school focusing on teaching different programs such as Microsoft Access, PowerPoint, Publisher.
•Include the students in the computer literacy teaching program.
•Have educational computer programs that will assist the students in the classroom.
•Assist school in developing a resource center where children can go to do assignments.
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Appendix I: Project Proposal Form
1. Group Information: Who is in your group? What is their contact information and when do you plan on meeting?
Name / E-mail / Phone / Group Meeting times1. Dylan Gart / / 625-0302 / Every Mondays & Wednesdays at 3:00pm
2. Georgia Middleton / / 824-3016/604-1625
3. Inar Cayetano / / 627-9695
4. Raul Martinez / / 601-9919/660-2466
2. Project Description: Write a one-paragraph description of the problem. What is the nature of the problem? Why is it a problem? Computer Literacy at St. Barnabas Primary school
After meeting with Mrs. Shaw the principal of the school, she informed us that we will be working first with 6 teachers and then proceed to working with children from Standards 3, 4, and 5. The teachers and students have limited or no computer skills. Our task is to teach them the best way possible to use the computer, this entails:
1)learning how turn on/off the computer
2)developing Word documents
3)doing basic research on the internet
4)creating folders and finding folders
5)changing font size
6)using copy and paste function
7)using flash drive
8)using spelling and grammarfunction
Our group believes that it is highly important for teachers as well as students to have or develop basic knowledge of the computer. In today’s world everything we do is linked back to technology mainly computers. Ensuring that the teachers and students of this school possess knowledge of computer will enable them to improve their teaching as well as learning abilities.
3. The Desired Ends
Briefly describe the desired ends. What does your group envision as the solution to your problem (goal)? How will your project contribute to realizing MDG objectives?
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development
The desired end for our project would be for the teachers and students to learn how to use the computer to do basic Word documents and to do research on the internet without the aid of others. Computer literacy will not directly contribute to the MDGs but we believe that having knowledge of computer will open up many doors for the teachers and students. With computer skills they can conduct research on some of the social issues affecting Belize and look for possible solutions to these problems. They can learn with the help of the internet, what some of the sustainable issues affecting the world are and steps they can take to not further contribute to the problem. Computer Literacy will aid in making them aware of what is happening in and around the world.
4. Partner Information
Briefly describe your project partner and what its role will be.
Organization / Contact information(name of contact person, address, phone, e-mail address, etc.)
St. Barnabas Primary school / Mrs. Shaw
5. Timeline
Estimated date / Activity / How objectives will be met / Person(s)responsible / Complete?
Feb. 5 / Project Proposal due / -Identify why it’s a problem
-Think of alternatives
-Meet with group / Entire group / Yes
Feb. 10 / Partnership Agreement due / -Meet with partner
-Identify needs
-Schedule meetings
-Identify group liaison / Entire group / Yes
Feb. 17 / Presenting computers
To school and meet with all teachers / -Group members will take over computers to school
- have meeting with teachers on what they want to get out of this project
- document ideas and suggestion by teachers / Entire Group / Yes
Feb. 19 / Teaching how turn on/off the computer and learning about the different features in Word and what they are use for / - each group member will be assign to one teacher
- demonstrate to teachers basic operations
- observe teachers as they work with computers / Entire group / Yes
Feb. 24 / Developing Word document, changing font size, using spell check / - teachers will be instruct to type simple paragraphs in word
- group members will observing teachers to ensure that typing is done correctly
-teachers will be asked to use spell check and change font size with the help of individual group member / Entire Group / Yes
Feb. 26 / - Creating and finding folders
- Using copy & paste
- highlighting importance of flash drive
-how to save documents on false drive or other removable devices / -group members will demonstrate to teachers how to create folders
- teachers will then follow instructions given by members and create folders on their own
- members will show teachers how to copy , cut & paste after which teachers will do the same with the assistance of the members
- members will show teacher how to save documents on removable devices / Entire Group / Yes
6. Proposed Budget
Identify anticipated expenses, including transportation, copying, purchases of materials and equipment, and possible contribution to project partner for continuation of project-related work.
Category of expense / Anticipated expense in $BZ / Justification / Running TotalPrinter / $1,000.00 / After completion of the project, group members want to donate a new printer to the school. The one presently being use is old and outdated.
2 Power Strip / $36.00 ($18.00 ea.) / In the building where we will be teachings do not have sufficient power outlet. The power strip will ensure that everybody have access to individual laptop and can working at the same time
New software for laptop / $500.00 / During the duration of the project we might find it necessary to upgrade the existing software on the laptop or we might find the need to add new ones to meet the needs of the teachers. We also notice that the school has about five Dell PCs. We can find out about the software on those computers and upgrade them to the latest version of Microsoft office and Encarta.
Format drafted from “A Workbook For Problem-Based Learning,” Farley, Erickson and Daly